Mali Lolo! Stars of Mali

Mali Lolo! Stars of MaliWashington, D.C., USA – This year’s Smithsonian Folklife festival will be dedicated to Mali. To celebrate the event, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has released a compilation of music from Mali.

Mali Lolo! Stars of Mali (Smithsonian Folkways 40508) showcases the preeminent musicians on the forefront of Mali’s modern musical renaissance. It features the Super Rail Band – Mali’s headliner group for 30 years – Grammy winner Ali Farka Toure, kora masters Toumani Diabate and Ballake Sissoko, Wassulu diva Oumou Sangare, guitarist and singer Habib Koite with his Bamada group, and more of Mali’s best talent.

This collection exemplifies each artist’s exploration of the rich ground between revered musical traditions and the innovations of modern Mali that draw upon a myriad of Western influences. Modern Mali, a powerhouse of African musical tradition, reverberates far beyond its geographic boundaries, harnessing its rich culture and history to create unique contemporary sounds.

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has been writing about world music music for many years. He founded the websites worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. Angel produced several TV specials for Metropolis (TVE) and co-produced “Musica NA”, a music show for Televisión Española (TVE) in Spain that featured an eclectic mix of world music, fusion, electronica, new age and contemporary classical music. Angel also produced and remastered world music albums, compilations and boxed sets for Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Music of the World.